Suvarnabhumi Airport Expansion Backed by Airports of Thailand

[Jacob Maslow]

Suvarnabhumi Airport expansion has been approved by the Airports of Thailand board. Expansion is set to begin in March of 2016.

The expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport is underway yet again. The expansion had been delayed since last year, but the Airports of Thailand board has now agreed to the expansion. The two-phase expansion was scheduled to begin in 2006 after the airport’s opening, but delays have kept the project from moving forward.

New plans for expansion are valued at over 100 billion baht. A completion of just 3 years is forecasted for the first phase.

The airport operator, controlled by the state, will conduct both expansions. An initial capacity upgrade is scheduled for completion by August of this year. The goal is to have the entirety of expansions complete by 2020. Suvarnabhumi Airport expects to handle over 85 million passengers per year, making it a mega airport.

Expansion schemes will include a variety of upgrades. Passenger-handling capacity will rise by 40 million, roughly an 89% increase. Currently, the airport can handle just 45 million capacity.

The second phase of expansion is estimated to cost 61.74 baht. This is down from initial approval estimates of 62.5 billion baht in 2010. Further expansion was also approved last month that will include a new terminal allowing for 20 million more passengers a year. There will also be a third runway added to accommodate the new terminal and expansion plans.

Terminal expansion is expected to cost 47.9 billion baht with expansion totals reaching 109 billion baht. The AoT has stated that the airport operator currently has 44 billion baht in cash and financing the project will not harm the airport financially due to the expected duration of the project.

The first stage of the project will be underway in March of 2016. The second stage of expansion will begin in October of 2017. By 2019, the airport expects to accommodate 70 million passengers and in 2020, this figure swells to 85 million.

-- 2015-02-22

[sunflowerhx]

Has anyone noticed, that every time this topic comes up, the dates and capacity changes.

[taony]

Hopefully the expansion is done in typical Thai fashion and they just keep extending it from one end in a nice long line. I want to walk more to get to my flights!!

[Lupatria]

The Airports of Thailand board forgot to give the year forecast for the national carrier:

[nisakiman]

Hopefully the expansion is done in typical Thai fashion and they just keep extending it from one end in a nice long line. I want to walk more to get to my flights!!

I nearly missed my flight earlier this week, partly because the gate was about 2 km from immigration (and several of the moving walkways weren't working and those that were working were blocked) and partly because security and immigration were under-manned, and took forever to negotiate. In fact at immigration, I had to queue-jump. Fortunately, the guys in front of me were very understanding, and allowed me through with good grace. My wife was through the 'Thai Passports Only' in two minutes, but the 'Foreigner' section was packed.

There must surely be a better way than having such vast distances to travel to some of the gates? Even when you're not running late it's a pain. The moving walkways are a good system, but are often rendered pointless because so many people get on them and then just stand there instead of walking, and so block them up so nobody else can make proper use of them.

Perhaps if they expand the place further, they should think about splitting immigration desks into two sections, situated at and serving opposite ends of the airport, and site the check-in for the relevant airlines accordingly.

[wotsdermatter]

Having flown internationally and nationally, England and Canada, for the past 60 years, the worse airport for personal transit by wheelchair, which I have to use, is Bangkok International Airport - Suvarnabuhumi. It is a dark, dismal and place and poorly constructed. As I proceed in my wheelchair, the floor joints are such they cause jostling and discomfort for my back and with three joint replacements very painful especially as most of my Gates are as far away from check in as they could possibly be. This airport should be demolished, not extended, and rebuilt. Maybe, but I doubt it, the airport authority should look at the list of the top 10 worldwide, which include, Singapore, Hong Kong, and especially Inchoen (currently No. 1 in the world) and consider making serious improvements. I really dread the fact that I must fly into BKK, especially with the lack of consideration by the authority for allowing disabled to have better facilities for transferring to taxi service, and the lack of control over taxi drivers trying to get away without using meters by asking for 2-3 times the amount that a meter ride would cost.

[NanLaew]

Hopefully the expansion is done in typical Thai fashion and they just keep extending it from one end in a nice long line. I want to walk more to get to my flights!!

I nearly missed my flight earlier this week, partly because the gate was about 2 km from immigration (and several of the moving walkways weren't working and those that were working were blocked) and partly because security and immigration were under-manned, and took forever to negotiate. In fact at immigration, I had to queue-jump. Fortunately, the guys in front of me were very understanding, and allowed me through with good grace. My wife was through the 'Thai Passports Only' in two minutes, but the 'Foreigner' section was packed.

There must surely be a better way than having such vast distances to travel to some of the gates? Even when you're not running late it's a pain. The moving walkways are a good system, but are often rendered pointless because so many people get on them and then just stand there instead of walking, and so block them up so nobody else can make proper use of them.

Perhaps if they expand the place further, they should think about splitting immigration desks into two sections, situated at and serving opposite ends of the airport, and site the check-in for the relevant airlines accordingly.

Even if you walk from the farthest gate on aisle A to the farthest gate on aisle F, that is still about 300 m less than the 2 km you claim to have walked. If you doubt this, fire up google earth, zoom into Suvarnabhumi and use the measurement tool (little ruler in the task bar) and you will see that the greatest distance from Immigration to ANY gate is around 800 m.

When you pass through Immigration at your home countrys airport, are you similarly surprised that the foreigners queue is much, much longer than the residents queue?

As for the Asian habit of rushing to get off the plane only to stop walking as soon as they step on the moving walkway... use the tongue that (your) God placed in your head to get them to move over. I find a very loud 'Excuse moi!' aided with bodily pressure works, even with the most obdurate of Chinese tour mobs.

Just admit it, you are a very infrequent traveler and left it too late for your check-in. The days of 1-hour for domestic and 2-hour for international check-in have gone a long time ago.

[taony]

Get a grip dude. Whether its exactly 2k or only 1700m is not the issue. Either of those two distances is way too much. Its bad design, pure and simple.

[Rod Wallop]

How is the layout of Incheon and Singapore different to Bangkok?

[Sealbash]

Get a grip dude. Whether its exactly 2k or only 1700m is not the issue. Either of those two distances is way too much. Its bad design, pure and simple.

Yes, I would have thought a German architect company could have done better. Guess this is one we can not blame on the Thais?

[NanLaew]

Get a grip dude. Whether its exactly 2k or only 1700m is not the issue. Either of those two distances is way too much. Its bad design, pure and simple.

The OP claims he walked 2,000 m which is a fallacy, an exaggeration probably fueled by his hatred of the country. A Thai basher.

It is 1,700 m from between the farthest apart GATES... not that anyone would be walking that far unless in air-side transit where you can take your time.

The maximum distance from the remotest gates to Immigration is ONLY 800 m.

Anyone that thinks 800 m is way too far to walk is a lazy arse IMHO.

[mike324]

Travel almost monthly, the thing that needs changing most is the width of walkways and shops that get in the way, 2nd is the attitude of the staff, more immigration officers (immigration time is actually not too bad nowadays), taxi, and the arrival area has a poor layout.

For the person who commented about the wheel chair, I'm sure someone is pushing you and the floors at the airport are pretty smooth, my grandparents visit often and I walk with them all the time when they are in a wheel chair, I don't see the complaint other than going in and out of elevators and where security check / immigration section is.

Suvarnahumi airport is not great but its not as bad as it sounds. Many folks haven't flown to some major airports in the US or Europe. Heck even Zurich airport is quite a walk for transits and there are no moving walkways in some areas.

[spidermike007]

Hopefully the expansion is done in typical Thai fashion and they just keep extending it from one end in a nice long line. I want to walk more to get to my flights!!

I nearly missed my flight earlier this week, partly because the gate was about 2 km from immigration (and several of the moving walkways weren't working and those that were working were blocked) and partly because security and immigration were under-manned, and took forever to negotiate. In fact at immigration, I had to queue-jump. Fortunately, the guys in front of me were very understanding, and allowed me through with good grace. My wife was through the 'Thai Passports Only' in two minutes, but the 'Foreigner' section was packed.

There must surely be a better way than having such vast distances to travel to some of the gates? Even when you're not running late it's a pain. The moving walkways are a good system, but are often rendered pointless because so many people get on them and then just stand there instead of walking, and so block them up so nobody else can make proper use of them.

Perhaps if they expand the place further, they should think about splitting immigration desks into two sections, situated at and serving opposite ends of the airport, and site the check-in for the relevant airlines accordingly.

For your future reference, as a foreigner traveling with a Thai, you are entitled to use the Thai passport holders line with your spouse. That is a fact. I tried this in Phuket, and it worked like a charm. I had a senior officer confirm this for me, it is quite a nice benefit.

[NanLaew]

Hopefully the expansion is done in typical Thai fashion and they just keep extending it from one end in a nice long line. I want to walk more to get to my flights!!

I nearly missed my flight earlier this week, partly because the gate was about 2 km from immigration (and several of the moving walkways weren't working and those that were working were blocked) and partly because security and immigration were under-manned, and took forever to negotiate. In fact at immigration, I had to queue-jump. Fortunately, the guys in front of me were very understanding, and allowed me through with good grace. My wife was through the 'Thai Passports Only' in two minutes, but the 'Foreigner' section was packed.

There must surely be a better way than having such vast distances to travel to some of the gates? Even when you're not running late it's a pain. The moving walkways are a good system, but are often rendered pointless because so many people get on them and then just stand there instead of walking, and so block them up so nobody else can make proper use of them.

Perhaps if they expand the place further, they should think about splitting immigration desks into two sections, situated at and serving opposite ends of the airport, and site the check-in for the relevant airlines accordingly.

For your future reference, as a foreigner traveling with a Thai, you are entitled to use the Thai passport holders line with your spouse. That is a fact. I tried this in Phuket, and it worked like a charm. I had a senior officer confirm this for me, it is quite a nice benefit.

But make sure that the Thai partner precedes you and/or his/her passport is on top if handing over both at same time.